SISTER, SISTER

It was my fourth time attending and my second time in that space, yet I couldn’t help the goosebumps that appeared as I floated in and removed my shoes at the entrance. They were seemingly the same goosebumps I got the day that I stumbled upon Ghislaine’s candle-lit living room a year and some change ago.

The space, a gorgeous blank canvas, was dimly lit as expected, but this time felt different. Maybe it was the cushions blanketed by colored tapestries, the rose petals and tea lights sprinkled over the nucleus of the room, or perhaps the new faces and glimmering eyes that welcomed me, the perpetual latecomer. I was enveloped with warmth and carried through an evening of enlightenment, familiarity, awareness and love, mostly from people I had never seen a day in my life.

Needless to say, I love me a sister circle.

Sister. I have best friends that cringe when I use that word in relation to meeting with and expressing myself to total strangers. I understand their frustration in not comprehending how someone you’ve just met can assume that title; I was once a skeptic too. An opinionated cynic about everything I knew nothing about. It wasn’t until that night at Ghislaine’s a year and a half ago that I finally cracked open my shield and was able to stand outside of myself.

The word sister implies a relationship. It is biologically defined as a female having the same parents as another or one parent in common with another. Biologically…yes. But what happens when a word transcends its biological definition? After a handful of sister circles amongst different groups of women, I began to understand that they mean to redefine the what a sister really is.

Sister (sĭs′tər) n. - A girl or woman who shares a common ancestry, allegiance, character, or purpose with another or others. One identified as female and closely related to another. A female that is never alone in her growth, trials, tribulations and uncertainties.

Whether it was a Fearless Leon Soul Tribe Session, Cosmic Christine Sisterhood Tribe Talk or a simple Super Soul Saturday gathered in pajamas in one of my best friends apartments, sister circles have changed my life. They’ve humbled me. They’ve reminded me that I am never alone in my stress and that the woman next to me probably is or has gone through the same exact frustrations that plague me. They’ve fed my soul and provided me with positive energy and strength. They’ve helped me gather the tools to silence the cacophony of self-loathing that we all, as human beings, are sometimes invaded by. They’ve fired up my fearlessness. They’ve taught me how to be a better daughter, friend and partner. They’ve helped me let go. They’ve helped me go on. They’ve been there for me so that I can be there for myself and in turn be there for others.

A silly, post jam session snapshot from last weekend’s #SoulTribeSession.

It was my fourth time attending and my second time in that space, yet I couldn’t help but to once again be reminded that girl power really does exist. Beyond measure and hidden behind the facade of the mean girl, she exists. She doesn’t just stand, she dances vivaciously. She doesn’t yell, she speaks assertively. She doesn’t shun, she accepts and welcomes. She doesn’t hate, she loves and appreciates.

This is an ode to girl power. Radiate it. Feel it. Multiply it. The world needs it.